Apparatus and method for executing a game program having advertisements therein

ABSTRACT

A game system which is operable to update advertisements that are displayed when a game program is executed. The system stores a game program in a memory, receives (i.e., downloads), at predetermined times of operation, for example, on each new day the game program is executed or each time the game program is executed, updated advertising data that relates to at least one advertisement, stores the received advertising data in the memory, executes the game program stored in the memory, and outputs during the execution of the game program display data which corresponds to the stored advertisement data in accordance with the game program code. Further, instead of downloading new advertisements, plural advertisements may be prestored with the game program and only advertisement selection codes are downloaded to update the advertisements that are displayed when the game program is executed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus and method forexecuting a game program having advertisements therein and, moreparticularly, to apparatus and method for executing a game program inwhich advertisements displayed therein can be updated by downloading newadvertisement data prior to the execution thereof.

[0002] As is known, video games or “game machines” are extremely popularand are generally located in video arcades. Many video games, forexample, auto racing programs and flight simulators, now arecommercially available in the form of game systems and computer programsthat may be executed by personal computers in the home. Such gameprograms, for example, auto racing programs, display background scenariosuch as houses, city sky-lines, billboards, trees, etc., along with theracing cars to make the auto racing game appear “realistic”. To make thegame further appear realistic, billboards and other such advertisingsigns in the racing program display either generic “non-commercial”information, e.g., “New York City 20 Miles Ahead”, or an advertisementof the company that produced the software. These advertisements,however, are not commercial advertisements because they are not intendedto persuade the viewer to purchase a specific product. Furthermore, evenif a particular game program contains an advertisement therein that canbe considered to be a commercial advertisement, since game programsgenerally are not modified once they are released for purchase by thepublic, there is the possibility that such an advertisement included inthe game program will become “obsolete” within a short period of timeafter the purchase thereof, for example, as when the advertised productis no longer sold.

[0003] Therefore, one problem encountered with typical game programs istheir general inability to maximize profits made from advertisementsthat are displayed during the execution thereof. Profits usually aremade from the purchase cost of game programs and not from sponsors(i.e., advertisers). If advertisements that are displayed when gameprograms are executed could be changed in a manner similar to that oftelevision programs, that is, by providing a means for changingcommercial advertisements in already purchased game programs, profits onthe sale of such game programs would substantially increase.Furthermore, and similar to commercial television, if profits fromcommercial advertisements in game programs increased, software companiescould, in theory, substantially lower the purchase price of such gameprograms which, in turn, would generally result in the increase ofconsumer purchases thereof.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provideapparatus and method for executing a game program having advertisementstherein which overcome the shortcomings of existing game programs andsystems.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatusand method for executing a game program in which the advertisementscontained therein can be modified.

[0006] A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus andmethod which inhibits the execution of a game program unlessadvertisement data therein is up-dated.

[0007] Various other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,apparatus and method operate to store a game program in a memory,receive (i.e., download via a transmission line) at is predeterminedtimes (e.g., on each new day or each time the game program is executed,or each time the game system is turned on) advertising data that relatesto at least one advertisement, store the received advertising data inthe memory, execute the game program stored in the memory, and outputdisplay data which corresponds to the advertisement data stored in thememory in accordance with the game program.

[0009] As one aspect of the present invention, the game program isinhibited from being executed when advertisement data is not received atthe predetermined times.

[0010] As another aspect of the present invention, the game program isreceived with the advertising data when it is executed the first time.

[0011] As yet a further aspect of the present invention, a gameidentification code, which identifies the game program to be executed,is transmitted to a game service provider, and advertising data thatcorresponds to the game program identified by the game identificationcode is received from the game service provider.

[0012] As yet another aspect of the present invention, a plurality ofadvertising data corresponding to a plurality of game programs arereceived (e.g., via a satellite transmission), and display data whichcorrespond to advertisement data of the executed game program is outputduring the execution thereof.

[0013] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention,apparatus and method operate to store a game program and advertisingdata that relates to a plurality of advertisements in a memory, receiveat predetermined times advertising selection data that identifiesselected advertisements stored in the memory, execute the game programstored in the memory, and output display data which corresponds to theselected advertisements as identified in the advertising selection dataat respective times in accordance with the game program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The following detailed description, given by way of exampleand-not intended to limit the present invention solely thereto, willbest be appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and parts, inwhich:

[0015]FIGS. 1A and 1B are pictorial representations of an auto racinggame in which two different advertisements are displayed;

[0016]FIGS. 2A and 2B are pictorial representations of another scene ofthe auto racing game in which two different advertisements aredisplayed;

[0017]FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of the data structure of agame program stored in the game system of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the operation of the game system of thepresent invention;

[0019]FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate the data structure of agame program stored in the game system in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation of the game system havingthe data structure shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B in accordance with thepresent invention;

[0021]FIG. 7 is a block diagram of both the receiving and transmittingsides of the game system of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the game system in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the game system in accordance with afurther embodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of the data structure ofgame data received by the game system shown in FIG. 9; and

[0025]FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing multiple game systems whichreceive game data from a single host computer in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B are pictorialrepresentations of an auto racing game in which a commercialadvertisement “A” is displayed on a billboard in FIG. 1A and a differentcommercial advertisement “B” is displayed on the billboard as shown inFIG. 1B. Similarly, FIGS. 2A and 2B are pictorial representations ofanother “scene” of the auto racing program in which commercialadvertisements “C” and “D”, respectively, are displayed on the clothingof the racing car driver. As seen from both set of FIGS. 1A and 1B andFIGS. 2A and 2B, advertisements “A” and “B” are displayed in the samescene of the auto racing program (of course, at different times) andadvertisements “C” and “D” also are displayed in the same scene of theauto racing program.

[0027] Referring next to FIGS. 3A and 3B of the drawings, the datastructure of a game program at two different times of execution (to bediscussed) in accordance with the present invention are shown. As shownin FIG. 3A, the game program is comprised of a main program M, whichgenerally represents the entire game program except for advertisementdata, and advertisement data A and C, which are stored in memory areasA0 and C0, respectively. Advertisement data A and C represent thecommercial advertisements “A” and “C” shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A,respectively. Thus, when a game program having the data structure shownin FIG. 3A is executed, commercial advertisement A is displayed in onescene of the auto racing program and advertisement C is displayed inanother scene.

[0028]FIG. 3B illustrates the data structure of the same game programshown in FIG. 3A, except advertisement data B and D are stored in memoryareas A0 and C0, respectively, instead of advertisement data A and C.Thus, when the auto racing program having the data structure shown inFIG. 3B is executed, commercial advertisement B is displayed (see FIG.1B) in the same scene advertisement A was displayed and commercialadvertisement D is displayed (FIG. 2B) in the same scene advertisement Cwas displayed. If advertisement data A and C in a game program thereforeare replaced by advertisement data B and D, respectively, after thepurchase thereof, such a game program would be more valuable to theadvertisers. It is appreciated that the main program M and theadvertisement data stored in memory areas A0 and C0 may be stored in asingle memory or in separate memories, as is well known in the art.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow chart of the operation of a gamesystem in accordance with the present invention is shown. When a homegame system is turned on, a game program (e.g., having the datastructure shown in FIG. 3A) is executed at instruction S41 and asequence of operations is performed in accordance with the program codeof main program M. At an appropriate time during the execution of mainprogram M, the advertisement data stored in area A0, for example,advertisement data A, is read therefrom and displayed, such as shown inFIG. 1A, at an instruction S42. If, however, advertisement data B isstored in memory area A0, commercial advertisement B (shown in FIG. 1B)is displayed at instruction S42. The game program continues atinstruction 43 and, an appropriate time as designated by the gameprogram, the advertisement data stored in memory area C0 is readtherefrom and displayed at instruction S44, such as shown in FIG. 2A.Upon completion of instruction S44, the game program continues itsoperation at instruction S45 until the completion of the program.

[0030]FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate the data structure of agame program in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention in which main program M and all of the advertisement data A,B, C and D stored therein remains unchanged (i.e., are “fixed” data).However, an advertisement selection code S is variable, wherein FIG. 5aillustrates the data structure of a game program having theadvertisement selection code S_(AC) which indicates that advertisementdata A and C are selected, and FIG. 5B illustrates the data structure ofa game program having the advertisement selection code S_(BD) whichindicates that advertisement data B and D are selected. Thus, the mainprogram M and all of the advertisement data A, B, C and D are fixed dataand only the advertisement selection code S is “variable” data.

[0031]FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a game systemwhich executes a game program having a data structure shown in eitherFIGS. 5A or 5B. When a user selects a particular game to be executed,the game system, at instruction S59, “downloads” from an on-line gamesystem service provider (to be discussed) the fixed data of thatparticular game, which consists of main program M and advertisement dataA, B, C and D shown in FIG. 5A. The main program M and the advertisementdata are stored in the game system's memory, typically non-volatilememory. If this fixed data already is stored in the game system'smemory, instruction S59 is not executed. Selection code S is downloadedat instruction S60, whether or not instruction S59 is executed, and suchselection code S identifies which advertisements are to be displayedduring the execution of the game program. Upon downloading of selectioncode S, main program M is executed at instruction S61 in a mannersimilar to instruction S41 of FIG. 4, previously discussed, and at anappropriate time during the execution of the game program, selectioncode S is read from the game system's memory at instruction S62, and thefirst advertisement to be displayed is identified at inquiry S63. Ifselection code S identifies commercial “A” as the first advertisement tobe displayed (i.e., S=S_(ax)), advertisement data A is read from memoryand displayed at instruction S64. On the other hand, if advertisement Bis identified as the first advertisement to be displayed (i.e.,S=S_(bx)), advertisement data B is read from memory and displayed atinstruction S65. The game program then continues at instruction S66 andat an appropriate time therein, selection code S is read from memory atinstruction S67 so that the next commercial advertisement to bedisplayed can be identified at inquiry S68. If advertisement C isidentified by selection code S (i.e., S=S_(xc)), then advertisement dataC is read from memory and subsequently displayed at instruction S69, butif advertisement D is identified by selection code S (i.e., S=S_(xd)),advertisement data D is read from memory and displayed at instructionS70. The game program then continues at instruction S71 untilcompletion. As shown in FIG. 6, “x” in inquiries S63 and S68 representsa “do not care” condition since inquiry 63 is identifying only the firstcommercial advertisement that is to be displayed and inquiry 68 isidentifying only the second commercial advertisement that is to bedisplayed. Furthermore, FIG. 6 is only an exemplary flow chart of thegame system of the present invention, and it is appreciated that theremay be more than two commercial advertisements identified by selectioncode S.

[0032] Referring back to FIG. 4, prior to the execution of the gameprogram at instruction S41, the advertisement data stored in memoryareas A0 and C0 are downloaded from an on-line game system provider in amanner similar to that performed previously described with reference toFIGS. 5A, 5B and 6. Namely, each time a user wishes to execute aparticular game program, the game system downloads advertisement datafrom an external source and stores the advertisement data in memoryareas A0 and C0. Similarly, when a user selects a game program in thegame system which operates in the manner shown in FIG. 6, a selectioncode S, which identifies which advertisements stored in memory are to bedisplayed during the execution of the game program, is downloaded.However, if the desired game program is not stored in the game system'smemory (e.g., on a hard disk, floppy disk, CD ROM, magneto-optical disk,etc.) both of the above-discussed embodiments of the present inventionalso download the fixed data of the game program. It is seen, therefore,that prior to the execution of a game program on a game system of thepresent invention, either the particular advertisement data representingthe image data of the advertisements that are displayed during theexecution of the program are downloaded or the advertisement selectioncode S is downloaded to the game system. In either case, commercialadvertisements are kept “current”, and since the amount of advertisementdata is relatively small compared to the size of the game programitself, the amount of “download” time is small in the first discussedembodiment. Of course, the download time of advertisement selection codeS in the second discussed embodiment is insubstantial.

[0033] In accordance with the present invention, updated or “new”advertisement data is downloaded or a new advertisement selection codeis downloaded each time a game program is executed. However, such dataneed not be downloaded every time the game program is executed, andinstead, may be downloaded only on a new day or a new week (or month) onwhich the game program is executed. Since commercial advertisementsgenerally do not change multiple times within the same day, downloadingsuch commercial advertisements more than once per day may beunnecessary. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention,commercial advertisement data or advertisement selection code S isdownloaded each time the game system is turned on.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of both the game system(i.e., the receiving side) and a transmission system (i.e., thetransmitting side) in accordance with the present invention is shown.The transmission system may be an on-line game system service provider,the game manufacturer itself, a telecommunication company which sellscommercial advertisements, or any other suitable system in which thepresent invention may be applied. The transmission system generally iscomprised of a system controller 2, memories 6 and 8 (e.g., hard-diskdrives), a switching circuit 10, an encoder 12, and a transmitter 14.The transmission system supplies the main program M of a game andadvertisement data to a game system of the present invention whichgenerally is located in the home via a transmission line 16, forexample, an ISDN (integrated services digital network), an ordinarytelephone line, or any other suitable transmission line. The game systemof the present invention generally is comprised of a receiver 18, adecoder 20 and a game machine 22, which includes therein a memory 24,for example, a magneto-optical disk drive or other suitable non-volatileread/write memory.

[0035] System controller 2 of the transmitting side shown in FIG. 7controls memory 6, which stores therein the main program M of a gameprogram, memory 8, which stores therein advertisement data, and switch10, which switches between the outputs of memories 6 and 8. Theadvertisement data stored in memory 8 may be changed if it is desired todisplay a different advertisement when the game program is executed.When main program M is to be downloaded to the game system, in responseto a suitable request from the game system, system controller 2 controlsmemory 6 and switch 10 so that main program M stored in memory 6 issupplied to encoder 12 which encodes the supplied data in a manner wellknown in the art so that the data is suitable for transmission andsupplies the encoded data to transmitter 14 which transmits the encodeddata via transmission line 16 to the game system of the presentinvention. Receiver 18 of the receiving side receives the transmittedsignal, decoder 22 decodes the transmitted signal, and game machine 22stores in memory 24 the decoded signal (i.e., main program M). Systemcontroller 2 then controls memory 8 and switch 10 to read out and supplythe advertisement data stored in memory 8 so that it may be transmittedto the game system. The advertisement data is received, decoded andstored in memory 24.

[0036] When main program M already is stored in memory 24, then onlyadvertisement data stored in memory 8 is transmitted to the game system.As previously mentioned, main program M is stored in memory 6 andadvertisement data is stored in memory 8. However, in the previouslydiscussed embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6,main program M as well as advertisement data A, B, C and D are stored inmemory 6 and only advertisement selection code S is stored in memory 8.Therefore, only advertisement selection code S is transmitted to thegame system when main program M and the advertisement data (i.e., thefixed data) already are stored therein. Of course, and as is well knownin the art, memories 6 and 8 may represent different memories of thetransmission system or simply different memory locations in the samememory device.

[0037]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a game system in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a gameprogram stored on a permanent storage medium, for example, an opticaldisk, is purchased by a user. The optical disk is inserted in amagneto-optical disk drive 38 (or other suitable reproducing device)which reproduces the game program stored thereon. As shown, the gamesystem is comprised of a transceiver/interface 26, a memory 28, a systemcontroller 30, a keyboard interface 32, a decoder 34, a picturecontroller 36 and memory 38 which is comprised of the magneto-opticaldisk drive having the optical disk loaded therein. Identification datastored on the optical disk and which identifies the game program storedthereon is reproduced therefrom and transmitted via transceiver 26 to anon-line game service provider, such as disclosed in FIG. 7. In responseto the transmission of the identification data, the service providertransfers to the game system shown in FIG. 8 updated “variable” data,which either is the advertisement data (i.e., advertisement data A, B, Cor D, or any combination thereof) or advertisement selection code S, aspreviously discussed. The updated variable data is received bytransceiver 26 and stored in memory 28. The variable data stored inmemory 28 then is stored on the optical disk of memory 38.Alternatively, the variable data is not permanently stored. In eithercase, the game program stored on the optical disk is not executed untilupdated commercial advertisement data is supplied from the serviceprovider.

[0038] Upon receiving updated commercial advertisement data, the gameprogram is executed and at an appropriate time, the stored data isdecoded in decoder 34 and supplied to picture controller 36 whichconverts the decoded data to a video signal and which supplies the videosignal for display on a video monitor (not shown). Furthermore, usercommands are entered on a keyboard (not shown) which is coupled tokeyboard interface 32 which decodes the supplied commands and whichsupplies the decoded commands to system controller 30. System controller30 controls the operations of the various devices of the game system ofthe present invention in a manner well known in the art. Thus, the gamesystem of FIG. 8 is similar to the game system shown in FIG. 7 exceptmain program M (along with advertisement data A, B, C, D in the seconddiscussed embodiment) is not downloaded but is stored on amagneto-optical disk that is purchased by a consumer.

[0039]FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a further embodiment of the presentinvention in which the “variable” data (i.e., the advertisement data orthe advertisement selection code) is supplied to the game system via asatellite transmission. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the variable datais repeatedly transmitted over a satellite transmission such that thesystem of FIG. 9 only “waits” for a relatively short period of timebefore receiving the variable data that corresponds to the particulargame program that has been selected to be executed. When a user insertsin CD ROM, drive 52 a CD ROM (or magneto-optical disk) having a gameprogram stored thereon and executes via keyboard interface 50 the gameprogram, a game identification code stored on the CD ROM is reproducedtherefrom and supplied to random access memory (RAM) 42 in a mannersimilar to that previously described with reference to FIG. 8. Systemcontroller 48 then ascertains the transmission channel on which thevariable data corresponding to the selected game program is transmittedand controls receiver 40 to receive satellite transmissions on theascertained channel.

[0040]FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the data structure of datatransmitted over two different channels of a satellite transmission. Asshown, FIG. 10A shows the data transmitted on a channel G and FIG. 10Bshows the data transmitted on a channel H. Channel G includes thereondata corresponding to two game programs J and K, and channel H includesthereon data corresponding to three game programs P, Q and R. If theexecuted game program corresponds to, for example, game J on channel G,receiver 40 is controlled to receive data transmitted on channel G, andupon receipt of software identification data J on channel G, advertisingdata J-1 and J-2 transmitted thereafter are stored in memory 42 as, forexample, commercial advertisements A and C, respectively. Theadvertisement data further may be stored in a non-volatile memory, e.g.,a hard disk or M-O disk, so that the advertisement data does not need tobe downloaded again in the event of a power failure. Furthermore, thegame system may be designed to require that updated advertisement databe downloaded each time the game is executed, or each new day (or week,etc.) on which the game is executed, or each time the system is turnedon, or at any other desired interval of time. The game program then isexecuted in a manner similar to that previously described with referenceto FIG. 8.

[0041]FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a plurality of game systems56, 58, 60 . . . each interacting with a host computer 54 (i.e., thegame service provider) via plural transmission lines. It is seen thatsince main program M of a game program is only downloaded to each gamesystem at most one time and since advertisement data or advertisementselection codes have a relatively small amount of data, the transmissionthereof is relatively short so that a transmission system generally willbe operable to service a relatively large number of home game systems.

[0042] In each of the above discussed embodiments, commercialadvertisements are updated on a regular basis such that profits madefrom such advertisements can be expected to substantially increase.Furthermore, since the amount of advertisement data that is downloadedto a game system is relatively small compared to the amount of data in agame program, download times are relatively short. Still further, thegame system shown in FIG. 9 operates to download updated advertisementdata in a manner that is transparent to a user of such game system.

[0043] While the present invention has been particularly shown anddescribed in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof, it willbe readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art thatvarious changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. For example, although the present invention has beendescribed as displaying two commercial advertisements from a selectionof four advertisements, the present invention is not limited to thesenumber of advertisements and may be applied to game programs thatdisplay a relatively large number of, e.g. 20, advertisements during theexecution of a particular game.

[0044] As another example, although the present discussion is directedto home game systems, the present invention is not limited solely to thehome and may be widely applied to game systems located in other locales,including game arcades and companies.

[0045] Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpretedas including the embodiments described herein, the alternativesmentioned above, and all equivalents thereto.

1-52. (Canceled).
 53. Apparatus for executing an executable programdisplaying updatable data therein, comprising: storage means for storingan executable program; means for receiving updatable data relating toupdatable data to be displayed and wherein said storage means stores thereceived updatable data; and execution means for executing saidexecutable program stored in said storage means and outputting displaydata incorporating the updatable data stored in said storage meanswithin an original display data generated by said executable program.54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein said means for receiving receivesupdatable data relating to a plurality of updatable display data; andsaid program execution means outputs display data incorporating each ofsaid plurality of updatable display data at respective times within saidoriginal display data generated by said executable program.
 55. Theapparatus of claim 53, further comprising means for transmitting to aprogram service provider a program identification code identifying theexecutable program to be executed, and wherein said means for receivingreceives from the program service provider updatable data correspondingto the executable program identified by said program identificationcode.
 56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein said means for receivingreceives a plurality of updatable data corresponding to a plurality ofexecutable programs; and said storage means stores the receivedupdatable data corresponding to the executable program to be executed bysaid program execution means.
 57. An apparatus for executing anexecutable program displaying data having updatable data therein,comprising: storage means for storing an executable program andupdatable data relating to a plurality of updatable display data; meansfor receiving at predetermined times updatable data identifying selectedones of said plurality of updatable display data stored in said storagemeans; and program execution means for executing said executable programstored in said storage means and outputting display data incorporatingthe selected updatable display data identified in said updatable data atrespective times within said original display data generated by saidexecutable program.
 58. Apparatus for executing an executable programdisplaying updatable data therein, comprising: a memory for storing anexecutable program; a receiver for receiving updatable data relating toupdatable data to be displayed and wherein said memory stores thereceived updatable data; and an execution apparatus for executing saidexecutable program stored in said memory and outputting display dataincorporating the updatable data stored in said memory within anoriginal display data generated by said executable program.
 59. Theapparatus of claim 58, wherein said receiver receives updatable datarelating to a plurality of updatable display data; and said executionapparatus outputs display data incorporating each of said plurality ofupdatable display data at respective times within said original displaydata generated by said executable program.
 60. The apparatus of claim58, further comprising a transmitter to a program service provider aprogram identification code identifying the executable program to beexecuted, and wherein said receiver receives from the program serviceprovider updatable data corresponding to the executable programidentified by said program identification code.
 61. The apparatus ofclaim 58, wherein said receiver receives a plurality of updatable datacorresponding to a plurality of executable programs; and said memorystores the received updatable data corresponding to the executableprogram to be executed by said program execution means.
 62. An apparatusfor executing an executable program displaying data having updatabledata therein, comprising: a memory for storing an executable program andupdatable data relating to a plurality of updatable display data; areceiver for receiving at predetermined times updatable data identifyingselected ones of said plurality of updatable display data stored in saidmemory; and an execution apparatus for executing said executable programstored in said memory and outputting display data incorporating theselected updatable display data identified in said updatable data atrespective times within said original display data generated by saidexecutable program.
 63. A method of executing an executable programdisplaying updatable data therein, comprising the steps of: storing anexecutable program in memory; receiving updatable data relating to atleast one updatable display data at predetermined times; storing thereceived updatable data in the memory; executing the executable programstored in the memory; and outputting display data incorporating theupdatable data stored in the memory within an original display datagenerated by the executable program.
 64. The method of claim 63, whereinsaid step of receiving is carried out by receiving updatable datarelating to a plurality of updatable display data; and said step ofoutputting is carried out by outputting display data incorporating eachof the plurality of updatable display data at respective times withinsaid original display data generated by the executable program.
 65. Themethod of claim 63, further comprising the step of transmitting to aprogram service provider a program identification code identifying theexecutable program to be executed; and wherein said step of receiving iscarried out by receiving from the program service provider updatabledata corresponding to the executable program identified by the programidentification code.
 66. The method of claim 63, wherein said step ofreceiving is carried out by receiving a plurality of updatable datacorresponding to a plurality of executable programs; and said step ofoutputting is carried out by outputting display data incorporating theupdatable data within said original display data generated by theexecutable program that is executed.
 67. A method of executing anexecutable program displaying updatable data therein, comprising thesteps of: storing an executable program and updatable data relating to aplurality of updatable display data in a memory; receiving atpredetermined times updatable data selection data identifying selectedones of the plurality of updatable display data stored in the memory;executing the executable program stored in the memory; and outputtingdisplay data incorporating the selected updatable display dataidentified in the updatable data selection data at respective timeswithin an original display data generated by the executable program. 68.An apparatus for exchanging information with an apparatus for executingan executable program having updatable data therein, comprising: storagemeans for storing updatable data; means for transmitting said updatabledata relating to at least updatable data to be displayed to saidapparatus for executing an executable program, said means fortransmitting transmits new updatable data at predetermined times; andwherein said apparatus for executing an executable program stores thereceived updatable data, executes an executable program, and outputsdisplay data incorporating the stored updatable data within an originaldisplay data generated by said executable program.
 69. The apparatus ofclaim 68, wherein said means for transmitting transmits updatable datarelated to a plurality of updatable data to be displayed; and saidapparatus for executing an executable program outputs display dataincorporating each of said plurality of updatable data to be displayedat respective times within said original display data generated by saidexecutable program.
 70. The apparatus of claim 68, further comprisingmeans for receiving a program identification code identifying theexecutable program to he executed at said apparatus for executing anexecutable program; and wherein said means for transmitting transmitsupdatable data corresponding to the executable program identified bysaid program identification code.
 71. The apparatus of claim 68, whereinsaid means for transmitting transmits a plurality of updatable datacorresponding to a plurality of executable programs; and said apparatusfor executing an executable program stores the received updatable datacorresponding to the executable program to be executed.
 72. An apparatusfor exchanging information with an apparatus for executing an executableprogram having updatable data therein, comprising: storage means forstoring updatable data relating to a plurality of updatable data to bedisplayed; means for transmitting at predetermined times selected onesof said plurality of updatable data to be displayed stored in saidstorage means in accordance with updatable selection data received fromsaid apparatus for executing an executable program; said apparatus forexecuting an executable program executing said executable program andoutputting display data incorporating the selected updatable data to bedisplayed identified in said updatable data selection at respectivetimes within said original updatable data generated by said executableprogram.
 73. An apparatus for exchanging information with an apparatusfor executing an executable program having updatable data therein,comprising: a memory for storing updatable data; a transmitter fortransmitting said updatable data relating to at least updatable data tobe displayed to said apparatus for executing an executable program, saidtransmitter transmits new updatable data at predetermined times; andwherein said apparatus for executing an executable program stores thereceived updatable data, executes an executable program, and outputsdisplay data incorporating the stored updatable data within an originaldisplay data generated by said executable program.
 74. The apparatus ofclaim 73, wherein said transmitter transmits updatable data related to aplurality of updatable data to be displayed; and said apparatus forexecuting an executable program outputs display data incorporating eachof said plurality of updatable data to be displayed at respective timeswithin said original display data generated by said executable program.75. The apparatus of claim 73, further comprising a receiver forreceiving a program identification code identifying the executableprogram to be executed at said apparatus for executing an executableprogram; and wherein said transmitter transmits updatable datacorresponding to the executable program identified by said programidentification code.
 76. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein saidtransmitter transmits a plurality of updatable data corresponding to aplurality of executable programs; and said apparatus for executing anexecutable program stores the received updatable data corresponding tothe executable program to be executed.
 77. An apparatus for exchanginginformation with an apparatus for executing an executable program havingupdatable data therein, comprising: a memory for storing updatable datarelating to a plurality of updatable data to be displayed; and atransmitter for transmitting at predetermined times selected ones ofsaid plurality of updatable data to be displayed stored in said memoryin accordance with updatable selection data received from said apparatusfor executing an executable program; said apparatus for executing anexecutable program executing said executable program and outputtingdisplay data incorporating the selected updatable data to be displayedidentified in said updatable data selection at respective times withinsaid original updatable data generated by said executable program.
 78. Amethod of exchanging information with an apparatus for executing anexecutable program having updatable data therein, comprising the stepsof: storing updatable data in memory; and transmitting said updatabledata relating to at least one updatable data to be displayed atpredetermined times to said apparatus for executing an executableprogram; wherein an executable program is executed at said apparatus forexecuting an executable program by outputting display data incorporatingthe transmitted updatable data to be displayed executable within anoriginal display data generated by the program.
 79. The method of claim78, wherein said step of transmitting is carried out by transmittingupdatable data relating to a plurality of updatable data to bedisplayed; and said step of outputting is carried out by outputtingdisplay data incorporating each of the plurality of updatable data to bedisplayed at respective times within said original display datagenerated by the executable program.
 80. The method of claim 78, furthercomprising the step of receiving a program identification codeidentifying the executable program to be executed at said apparatus forexecuting an executable program; and wherein said step of transmittingis carried out by transmitting updatable data corresponding to theexecutable program identified by the program identification code. 81.The method of claim 78, wherein said step of transmitting is carried outby transmitting a plurality of updatable data corresponding to aplurality of executable programs; and said apparatus for executing anexecutable program outputs display data incorporating the updatable datawithin said original display data generated by said executable programthat is to be executed by said apparatus for executing an executableprogram.
 82. A method of exchanging information with an apparatus forexecuting an executable program having updatable data therein,comprising the steps of: transmitting updatable data relating to aplurality of updatable data to be displayed to said apparatus forexecuting an executable program; and transmitting to said apparatus forexecuting an executable program at predetermined times updatable dataselection data identifying selected ones of the plurality of updatabledata to be displayed stored in the memory; wherein said apparatus forexecuting an executable program executes an executable program byoutputting display data incorporating the selected updatable data to bedisplayed identified in the updatable data selection data at respectiveLimes within an original display data generated by the executableprogram.